1996 Chevrolet Camaro - 8-Second Addiction

Taner Bosnali's 8-second, LT1-powered '96 Camaro: The fastest six-speed LT1 in the world

"This sport is my drug, it is my high, my leap from a perfectly good airplane with only a parachute tied to my back." Yeah, Taner Bosnali is hardcore. As the reigning two-time LTX Shootout Modified Power Adder champion and the only 8-second six-speed manual equipped LT1 in the world, Taner's Camaro SS needs no long introduction to explain its significance or to tell you why it's awesome. Of course, we wouldn't just stick an 8-second race car in GMHTP and call it good. Sure, running 8's is one thing, but what really makes this car stand out is the fact that Taner street drives it on a regular basis, has ran an 8.97 at 155 mph on nitrous, and competes all over the country in various events while having a blast doing it. "The car has been built with the intent of remaining a driveable pump gas street car. It has been to 3 Hot Rod Pump Gas drag events, placed runner-up in the NMCA True Street class and won the 2009/2010 LTX Shootout Modified Power Adder class along with the six-speed title." We told you he was hardcore...

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Believe it or not, the foundation for Taner's 8-second rocket is actually an original LT1 block, although it has been bored and stroked to 399 cubic-inches and stuffed with excellent internal hardware from JE, Callies, and Oliver. "Bryan Harshaw, of Harshaw Racing Engines, built a stout LT1. With the bottles turned on, there isn't anything driveline related that hasn't been destroyed including inputs, outputs, ring and pinions, pressure plates, etc." A lot of that driveline killing power comes from the 11.4:1 compression slugs and the "top secret" camshaft, but you can bet that Taner and Bryan have a couple of extra tricks up their sleeve when it comes to keeping everything "on kill." Up top, Taner relies on a pair of Erik Bradby ported AFR cylinder heads and a Super Victor intake manifold to bring in the lethal mixture of air, fuel, and nitrous, the latter of which comes from a custom "home plumbed" fogger kit and a ZEX perimeter plate. We asked Taner about the total amount of nitrous involved, he only said "Lots of spray..." but we can guarantee you that it is a substantial amount to run the number.

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Besides the intricate nitrous plumbing, the rest of the engine bay is stuffed with all of the trick goodies you would expect to see on an 8-second Camaro, including a billet "Ultimate Opti" front mount distributor, a FAST 2000-cfm carb-style throttle body and a set of custom 17?8-inch Lemons long-tube headers that exhale through a set of 4-inch bullet mufflers on the track or an original SLP "Two on the Left" exhaust for street duty. "To mask the giant throttle body, I turned to Matt Kars for some custom SMC bodywork. Not wanting to wreck the look of the factory SS hood, we decided to stretch the cowl area back 4-inches to hide the modifications to the cowl as well as what lies beneath." And, since this is still a real street car, the cowl modifications even included keeping the windshield wipers in place, which is a slick and subtle modification that really takes this car to the next level.

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Behind the 399 cubic-inch LT1 sits a custom hybrid McLeod Street Twin clutch that was built for Taner to accept an LS-style bearing and sit inside an SFI-approved LS-style bellhousing. The serious bellhousing isn't just to pass tech though, Taner actually had a pressure plate come apart in October of 2007 and the resulting shrapnel managed to break several of his toes along with the Camaro's radiator, distributor and a tire. In typical lighthearted fashion, Taner told us that the upside to the catastrophic explosion was that "the trans came out really easy that time. Four bolts and it was out!" Aft of the clutch sits a Liberty Gears built T56 six-speed manual transmission that features OEM factory components and custom faceplate work by Liberty. "After struggling for years to keep the transmission alive, buying aftermarket gear sets rated for 1,200 hp, with no success, I turned to Craig Liberty at Liberty Gears. When the transmission went in for a check up [after 2 years of abuse] it came out with a clean bill of health, which was nice to see."

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Out back, Taner's Camaro is outfitted with a Moser 9-inch rear that relies on an aluminum centersection and a spool to transfer power out to the wheels. In street trim, Taner boils a set of 17x11-inch ZR1 wheels wrapped in Mickey Thompson drag radials, a combination that he swaps out for a pair of 28x10.5 ET Drag's come race day. In order to lay down the sick 1.27-second sixty-foot times and stand the ol' LT1 up on the back bumper, Taner has tweaked the rear suspension using a plethora of goodies from BMR Suspension and AFCO Racing, all parts that work well on both the track and the street, which is exactly why Taner chose them for his rocket.

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Really though, it's the T56 that really makes this Camaro so special and it is also the reason that Taner can lay claim to the title of the "Quickest street driven six-speed F-body" and the "First LT1 six-speed in the 9's and 8's," which is actually a title Taner holds all by himself, since no other LT1 six-speed has ever been in the 8-second zone before. "You couldn't cruise at 80 mph still knocking down almost 20 mpg with a TH400 and a 5500-rpm stall mated to an LT1." That's a fact and one that Taner is quite proud of. Although, even with all that Taner has accomplished, it is important to mention how truly humble this champion from Canada really is. "This car couldn't have accomplished what it has without the help of some very good friends! With family and a hectic work schedule that always comes first, there is not much time left for wrenching. With that said, if I can recognize my family and friends in GMHTP, then all is very well!" Taner, you can do whatever you want as long as you keep bangin' gears and hanging 'em high...

Taner can lay claim to the title of the "Quickest street-driven 6-speed F-body" and the "First LT1 6-speed in the 9's and 8's."

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